Enfield woman finds bug in Subway sandwich

Jessica Freake took these photos after biting into her sandwich on Tuesday. Jessica Freake

An Enfield woman says she was “absolutely disgusted” after discovering an insect in her Subway sandwich.

Jessica Freake bought a six-inch sub at Subway on Quinpool Road in Halifax on Tuesday. After three bites, she had an “absolutely putrid taste” in her mouth.

“I chewed on it and started gagging — it was absolutely terrible,” Freake said in an interview Thursday.

She said she spat out what she thought was a stem from a banana pepper, only to discover it was actually a bug. Putting it in her napkin, she took photos of it and then put it in a container. She then called the Subway to tell them what happened and left her phone number.

In this still from a video chat, Jessica Freake shows the bug. The Signal

Her boyfriend Mark Chamberlain immediately went back to the restaurant for answers. He said he was surprised to see people still being served.

“I said ‘I still can’t believe you’re still serving people food out of the same container,’” said Chamberlain.

Chamberlain said he was offered a gift certificate and a new sub, but declined both.

Freake said she received a call from someone at Subway Atlantic who told her an investigation is underway.

The Signal called that number and was told “no comment.”

Ray Mackleroy, a spokesperson for Subway Canada, said he couldn’t comment on the specifics, but they’re aware of the incident.

“Subway has reached out to the customer to see how they’re doing,” said Mackleroy. “There is a process in place to make sure all produce is washed before serving.”

The Signal sent two of Freake’s photos to Paul Manning, an entomologist at Dalhousie University, who said the insect was a stink bug.

“If you injure or threaten them, they excrete pretty foul smelling and tasting compound from glands located on the underside of their thorax,” Manning said in an email.

“I’d wager this individual probably arrived as a hitchhiker in a bag of salad greens.”

Freake and Chamberlain shared their story and photos on Facebook. By Thursday they had received over 548 comments and 1,759 shares.

Freake said she doesn’t really know what to expect out of this situation.

“I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” she said. “I will never eat a sub again without checking opening it and taking a look in it.”